Sweeter than Cake [MxM] [English Version]

13 / Consideration

After teleporting three times, it turned out that my body already had good reflexes by immediately closing my eyes and placing one foot in front of the other. So when Lynx and I got back to Lynx's room, I wasn't falling like before. Seeing that I could stand straight, Lynx removed his hand from my arm and then walked towards the pantry with his head bent and eyes unfocused.

I was only watching Lynx's every move and trying to keep up because I didn’t know what I should say. My mind was busy with so many things that came up in just one day. The horrible scene which had happened this afternoon still appeared in my mind endlessly. Although I could replace it with another thought afterwards, it could not be erased completely like I wanted. It came suddenly just like a pop-up notification on my computer when a virus attacked the software.

Following what Lynx was doing, I sat across from Lynx with a high pantry table between us. Lynx fiddled with his hands just like stretching fingers like normal people. Then a split second later I saw a row of sweetly lined drink cans like those on display in supermarket windows. If the situation was chill enough, I would ask directly how he was doing that trick. But it was not. So I just imagined all of the drinks had come from his refrigerator.

"Rui... we'll take care of all matters regarding this terror. You just have to let me know if something goes wrong. I'll go to your place right away," said Lynx while looking at the drinks with a blank stare.

"Let's have dinner first, Lynx," I said, after convincing myself that, apart from having divine powers, Lynx still needed food. I still believe in my memory that Lynx once had diarrhea when he ate the wrong one. Proving that even a god still has a body metabolism like humans in general.

Lynx’s eyes rolled up and we were looking at each other. A good sign for me because I thought my friend was losing his senses. But then I couldn't stare at his gaze very long, so I rolled down my eyes to avoid his gaze. “Don’t worry. If something happens, I will let you know first,” replied me.

"I've always imagined how much I want to enjoy moments when you already know about my power. Have a drink with you without holding back my power so I can do it more quickly and practically,” Lynx said as he poured mineral water from the pitcher into the glass in front of me using his power. "Hearing your ramblings, giving your opinion, and debating as usual. I was just thinking about how to be at that moment. But I never thought I would introduce my power to you in a messed-up situation like this.”

"Convenience isn't something that can be forced, right?" I said after saying thank you for the drinking water served by Lynx.

"But I failed to anticipate what happened earlier..."

"Hell, no! It wasn't just your fault what happened. I wasn't careful. Your father didn't anticipate it. Maybe even Vanilla decided too soon to come home with you.

"I mean... Why do we care about status: who is wrong or who is the most wrong?" I said, trying to draw the best possible conclusion, but it didn't seem to work its way into Lynx's mind. So I continued after several seconds of silence, “The fact that we were still here together was the best option after all.”

"Until now, I'm still trying to understand your suffering for what happened to you. How can I endure the same suffering as you? I never feel enough just to be responsible for it."

I was getting confused if it was about me. I was half aware that Lynx's words were out of place. I couldn't dig deeper. I didn't know which part of Lynx's words should be responded to further. So all I could think about right now was how Lynx can get out of his guilt for now.

"Hey, Lynx....if you're feeling responsible for this. How about you making me happy today?" Now it was Lynx's turn to be confused by my words. When Lynx was looking at me with such a questioning face, I continued with a silly smile, "Accompany me to eat at the place I chose tonight."

It seemed that Lynx was getting more confused seeing my face showing a sudden smile. The smile that led Lynx to follow my urge to eat somewhere he didn't expect at all.

Regarding keeping Ollivine’s big secret, Lynx needed to be careful about how he got in and got out of his house. So Lynx brought me back to his penthouse of his hotel because our last presence was there.

After we got out of the penthouse, Lynx and I needed to walk in a short corridor which led to a lift. That lift led directly to a special basement which had a few cars there and I bet all of them were Olivine’s car. Lynx chose a navy sports car which was rarely used.

“Can we go in a more normal car?”

My request made Lynx frowned. Maybe at that time, Lynx had bad intuition about where I would take him to.

"So you want to torture me by bringing me to a place like this?" asked Lynx when me and Lynx had a seat in a BBQ restaurant.

"Suddenly I thought of this brilliant idea. Cool, isn't it? Instead of you suffering in your mind, it's better that you suffer and I am the witness to your suffering."

Lynx burst out laughing at what I had just said. I honestly didn't expect that Lynx would laugh in a public place like this. I was in a state which felt pity for Lynx but also relieved that he could share his emotion.

"Your laughter scares me. It's like you can only laugh out loud when you're suffering," I said, looking around, and a few people from other tables looked at the two of us. More precisely, looking at Lynx, who for some reason can laugh non-stop.

Lynx and I were at a BBQ restaurant where customers can grill raw meat at their respective tables. In all the years Lynx and I were friends, the two of us had never dined together at a place like this because of Lynx’s principle that adheres to the restaurant: the customer is everything. Lynx would take into account all aspects of the quality of the ingredients, the way of serving, and the time of serving to the practicality of eating. So I knew that a BBQ restaurant was definitely on the black list of his mind.

"You haven't grilled meat yourself, have you? Or... can you grill it yourself without using fire?" I said in a lower voice for the second sentence.

I started to play with my chopsticks to pick up one by one the raw meat served on a large plate. Then I put the sliced ​​​​meat on a cast iron plate and flatten each meat according to the surface so that it cooks perfectly.

Lynx just watched me. Nor did I expect Lynx to follow what I did, which he found so inefficient.

"Cooking also requires many aspects to be studied. The impact of choosing raw materials on the manufacturing process. Control of all variables during the manufacturing process. The right temperature for certain types of meat. The right fire to get a certain temperature. Why should I learn all aspects of cooking if I don't want to cook?"

I looked at Lynx with a straight face. I thought Lynx was just struggling to wait for me without provoking me like this. His words were an initiative sign for me to start explaining.

"It's not as complicated as you think... just grill it until it doesn't burn. That's all."

"Grilling until it doesn't burn can even be done by someone who is used to doing it every day. Why should a buyer do it?"

"They allow buyers to experience making their dish. Usually, people who come here bring their family or friends to experience the same experience together. Of course, the reasons are not the same in our case."

"It doesn't look like the guys here are going to spend their time cooking at home. Do they want to be a chef? I don't think so. If not, why spend their time building experiences they won't do daily?"

Just as I was about to reply to Lynx's words, the corner of my eye caught two figures standing on my right. I turned and saw two girls in high school uniforms smiling at me and occasionally looking at Lynx who was across from my seat.

"Can the two of us join your seat? It seems that eating four of us at a place like this would be more fun," said a girl with short brown hair in casual language.

"And it looks like you guys are debating who should grill the BBQ meat, so we can help grill it too," said another short-haired girl.

I was quite surprised that someone was trying to follow Lynx and my conversation even though those girls still misunderstood what we were talking about. Or ... yes, they both just want to approach me and Lynx. As usual.

"As a bodyguard, I'm used to grilling meat for my master. And my master doesn't want to be bothered."

My story succeeded in making the two foreign girls apologize and leave shyly.

"So if I'm used to making up stories when girls want to eat together like this, you're going to say that I should be a novelist?" I said, trying to continue the conversation that had stopped.

"You've been doing it since middle school. Maybe your hobby could be more occupied."

"It seems that I also have to get used to making up stories to reject students at school. It's just that I need to choose reasons that aren't as stupid as just now."

"Hey, Rui... What are you going to do with that student council girl?"

Lynx's question seemed to open a channel in my brain that had been closed. The endless debate I had with Lynx made me forget for a moment that Lynx had been holding back his feelings all along. Especially when I was close enough with a girl, like Manna.

"About that... still thinking..."

"I'm trying to accept that you like that girl. Knowing you won't leave me alone is way better than I expected," Lynx said trying to smile.

I didn’t know if I should be grateful or not when I heard Lynx's words. When asked if I have feelings for Manna, I couldn't seem to deny it. Lynx had known the type of girl I liked long ago although he had never been happy when someone had been close to me.

I had questioned Lynx's obnoxious attitude towards people I liked. But the current situation has become the opposite. Now Lynx has given permission to me, yet I didn't have the confidence to approach Manna. The word “trying to accept” from Lynx made me uncertain. The word was also reflected on me, who was trying to understand how my best friend felt about me.

"The meat is done. It shouldn't be burnt," I said after I managed to break my thoughts.

When Lynx and I arrived at my house, Mom was already in the bedroom. Besides the message which had been sent by Lynx to my Mom, I had already told Mom not to wait for me and said that Lynx would be staying at the house. During his time at my house, Lynx didn't talk about serious things like the events of the day or his feelings for me. It seemed that everything Lynx wanted to say had been said today. And it seemed the last thing he wanted to say was about Manna.

The dinner in the BBQ restaurant was an escape plan to avoid all of the problems I encountered today. Lynx and I made a deal to maintain what we usually do as friends. Friendship between me and Lynx could be maintained well if we chose to make some effort about this. Some effort to make normal habits we used to. And some effort to let our thoughts only think about what has happened in the present.

After cleaning up the room, Lynx and I sat in the dining room to eat my homemade tiramisu and discuss how the taste had improved. The conversation felt very smooth for me, like in the BBQ restaurant. Then there was an intermezzo when Mom had woken up and scolded us for still eating sweet foods in the middle of the night and she connected it with health.

Even if things were going as normal as usual, my mind couldn't help but be on guard whenever silence came because I still had to consider Lynx's point of view. Like now...

Usually, I just sleep next to Lynx without thinking. Usually, after saying goodnight, it won't be long before my mind stops thinking and I drift off to sleep. But right now I can't sleep. I can’t stop opening my eyes every few minutes. My brain seemed to always want to know what the person next to me would do. Someone who was lying in the same bed.

"Can't sleep?" Lynx's deep voice came from next to me.

I turned and saw the face of a figure who was staring at me intently. Maybe the same sharpness as yesterday. But in the last few hours, I felt Lynx's gaze getting softer and softer.

I only answered with a light sigh. Lynx seemed to know the meaning of that. Lynx took his left hand out of the blanket and slowly brought it close to my face. As if he was trying to signal each step of his slow motion hand to me. Then Lynx touched my cheek and pinched it.

"Hey!"

Lynx chuckled at the annoyed look on my face. Maybe he saw my face like a child who was angry for no reason.

"I'm not going to touch you suddenly. Do my hands have to be tied to make you sure?" said Lynx, showing off his hands that were pretending to be tied.

"It's useless, you can open it easily."

I looked at the face in front of me which was only two inches away. Lynx was busy with his thoughts so I could see him for a few seconds. Observing his perfect shape, especially his sharp eyes, filled up my sight.

If Lynx and I were meant to be together, why didn't one of us just be a girl?

And if Lynx or I were girls, it looks like the two of us would have started dating from today…

"Where's your hand?" asked Lynx suddenly. "There's no way I'm looking into the blanket, right? Then my hand will continue to another place."

Or not.

How could I not have realized that Lynx was this perverted. I was even ashamed of myself for letting him kiss me for two minutes before.

"I'm in the same bed as a p*****t," I said, covering my face with my right hand in shame.

Lynx took my hand from my forehead and cupped my hand between his hands. My hand was like a patty on a hamburger. Then Lynx placed the "hamburger" above the blanket, allowing me to keep an eye on its movements at all times.

"It's better like this, right?"

I couldn’t answer Lynx’s. There were two other characters from Lynx who have just been revealed behind the terrible events that I experienced. That was perverted. And romantic.

I didn't think that Lynx had those romantic and perverted sides like that. As long as I've been his best friend, I've always seen Lynx as a self-confident, untouchable, and cold man.

Every time Lynx and I discussed the storyline of a film, Lynx was always initiated to discuss from a logical point of view whether or not a scene could occur. Meanwhile, I have always discussed whether or not a plot can be enjoyed logically. Not a single word referred to the feelings or romance of each character in the film.

I once imagined that if Lynx was the main character in a film, he would be a character that many women chased after. Then the main character, Lynx, would accept one of the women, considering all aspects. In my mind, the type of woman who would be Lynx’s potential partner was a very considerate woman. A woman who responds to Lynx's opinions wisely and carefully, and looks elegant with above-average intellectual standards. I think I imagined Lynx's mother as a potential match for Lynx.

But the truth was Lynx chose me. I didn't understand why Lynx would like a debater type like me. I had often nagged Lynx non-stop and he had just kept silent. As if dizzy responding to a child who was having a tantrum. Lynx and I often disagree. We rarely find the same opinion.

One question was repeated in my mind.

Why did Lynx like me?